Morning Glory IX: Baptism of Fire
by Isahunter
Summary: Let the preparations for war begin....


TITLE: "Morning Glory IX: Baptism of Fire" (1/1)  
AUTHOR: Isahunter  
RATING: PG.  
CATEGORY: V, WIP, Krycek/Other (No slash)  
SPOILERS: Up to One Son, S6  
ARCHIVE: Yes, please  
FEEDBACK: Isahunter@aol.com  
DISCLAIMER: All characters from "The X-Files" are property of CC, 1013, and FOX. No copyright infringement intended.  
SUMMARY: Let the preparations for war begin....  
  
For Ginny, my beta girl, who even dreams about my characters. Now that's what I call dedication to the job. Thanks, Gin. Love ya!  


* * *

"From a little spark may burst a mighty flame."  
--Dante Alighieri.  


She stood in front of the open trunk of the car, rubbing the soreness of her left bicep, staring down at the rifles and handguns in disgust. There were enough weapons and ammunition to supply a small army. It was stupid really...like standing in front of a speeding locomotive and waving your arms, hoping it would stop. These guns might slow the aliens down, but nothing more. If anything, they would be used to kill human beings--soldiers marked and tagged, controlled by alien technology to put an end to any resistance.

She'd snuffed out a human life once...she wasn't so sure she could do it again.

Listening absently to the conversation behind her, she stared off into the distance. More fire extinguishers and burn kits would be needed, in case of attack from the alien rebels. The rebels would try to burn any of the controlled soldiers working for the colonists...but there was always a chance they'd turn on the resistors as well. Their exact agenda was unknown, and their unpredictability was more than dangerous.

Infected humans, carrying the black oil virus, and the alien offspring were their biggest threat. The babies were vicious, nearly indestructible, and fast as lightning. As far as Alex was concerned, if you encountered one of the hatchlings, you could kiss your ass good-bye.

Just as frightening...they were all alone. The military would take no action against the colonists. The Federal Emergency Management Agency had even been ordered to shut down the government in case of such an invasion. Cities would no doubt be blockaded and 'quarantined' against the virus. What a crock of shit. Those same cities would be covertly infected with the virus under the colonists' orders. What looked like structured command of the situation in the eyes of the public would be nothing more than traitorous back-stabbing. To save their own asses, the government officials had sold them as slaves to an alien race.

Obviously, no one had learned a damned thing from the past.

"The safest bet, when it comes down to it, is to head for the silos. Underground, like the rats. Everything up here is going to be burned or turned into a wasteland."

"We can't survive down there," Walter said. "It's winter, and there's no way we can get enough food to last us."

"That's why we have to start stocking the place now. Forget about the cabin. It's like living in an unlit bonfire. Underground won't be as cold. The earth doesn't know what season it is eight stories down."

"What if they find us and we're trapped down there?"

"There are dozens of exits from that place. You just have to know where to find them."

Sabryn turned to look at them, still holding her arm. "Do you really want to go back, Alex? Didn't you almost die down there?"

"We don't have much of choice. It's either that, enslavement, or burning to a crisp. Which would you prefer?"

"What about Fox and Agent Scully?" she asked Walter, noting Alex's sudden shift in posture. "We haven't heard from them in days. Shouldn't they be here by now?"

"They're coming here?"

"I haven't been able to recharge my cell phone without the power on," Walter said. "But you're right. They should have been here by now. I might have to make a trip into town and find out what's going on."

"We need more supplies, anyway."

"We're almost out of money."

"Don't worry about the money, I'll handle it."

"You're not going to rob the place, Krycek."

Alex merely grinned.

~~~~~~~~~~

Standing outside of the phone booth as Walter placed his call, Sabryn watched her niece feed quarters into the mechanical rocket ship Chris was riding. Her nephew giggled with every jerk and tilt of the ride, but Jolie merely looked on in detached boredom. Emotionless and silent, eyes vacant, like a toy doll. Swallowing heavily, Sabryn glanced through the windows of the store behind her, watching her brother and Alex argue as they followed Caroline and her shopping cart down the aisles. At least they weren't killing each other yet. That had to be a good sign.

Stepping away from the booth, she walked over to where Jolie stood and stroked the girl's long blond hair. She didn't even blink.

"Jo?"

"Hmm." It was barely an audible grunt.

"Are you all right, sweetie?"

"Uh-huh."

"What do you say we go for a walk when we get back to the cabin? Just us."

Jolie shrugged, still staring at the rocking ride.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Sabryn kissed the top of Jolie's head and then walked back to where Walter stood. He'd obviously just finished his call and was ready to go inside the store.

"Any news?"

He shook his head in frustration. "I spoke to Scully. She's still trying to get her mother packed up for the trip, and Mulder's disappeared. He took Marita and told Scully he'd be back soon, only he hasn't called or returned."

"Marita?"

"The former Special Representative to the Secretary General of the United Nations. She was being held captive by the Syndicate, while they performed dozens of tests on her, but she escaped. God knows what Mulder's getting her into now."

"Why would they perform tests on her?"

"You remember the boy I told you about, Dmitri? The one Krycek infected with the black oil?" When she nodded, he continued. "Marita was infected by the same boy, when she stole him from Krycek."

"She didn't die?"

"No. She was given the vaccine, from what I was told."

"Well, someone has to find Fox."

He nodded, heading into the store. After Sabryn made sure Jolie knew where she was going, she followed him inside. They found the others in the canned foods aisle, the cart almost full of nonperishable foods. When Walter told the others of the phone call, and of Mulder's disappearance with Marita, she could see the change in Alex's expression almost immediately. She wasn't sure she liked it.

"I think I'm going back, to find them," Walter said.

Alex shook his head. "There isn't any time. By the time you get there, and head back, it'll be too late. FEMA will have control of everything."

"That's a chance I'll have to take."

"Walter, you can't," Sabryn said. "You haven't had the vaccine."

"It doesn't matter. I'm not leaving them out there."

"I'll go."

Sabryn turned her gaze to stare at Alex. He looked suddenly determined to go after them...and unable to meet her gaze, as well.

Walter laughed without amusement. "You just ran from them, Krycek."

"I escaped captivity. And I've done what I set out to do. I brought the guns here. Now I'm ready to finish this."

Sabryn could only stare at him in horror. That's was the only reason he'd come here? To bring guns? She met his gaze for a split second before walking away in disgust.

~~~~~~~~~~

Standing outside in the parking lot, her hands braced against the side of the truck, she could see Alex's reflection as he walked up behind her. Looking so damned sure of himself, so calm and confident, so fucking beautiful...and meanwhile, she was two steps away from falling apart.

He reached his hand out but she stepped away before he could make contact.

"Don't you fucking touch me."

He exhaled heavily, a moment before forcefully grabbing her anyway and spinning her around to face him. "Talk to me."

"So...you came back here to deliver some guns and to fuck me. How fortunate for you that I was so willing."

"Shut up."

"No, you shut up. You asshole. How dare you even think about doing this to me?"

"Sabryn--"

"I'm not going to let you. Either I come with you, or you don't go at all. It's that simple."

He leaned back against the car behind him, crossing his arms over his chest. "Over my dead body."

"So be it."

"It's too dangerous. The chances are that I won't find them and I'll end up getting killed, or turned into one of their mindless drones."

She shook her head. It was OK for him to be killed? But if she tried to come along, he wasn't having it. Well, screw him.

"Why did you even come back here? Couldn't find anyone else willing to fuck you? Surely even a prostitute wouldn't turn down a felon for the right money."

"Fuck you." He glared at her, standing up straight to tower over her, deliberately using his size to make her back up. "I came back here to make sure you were safe. That you were taken care of. To hold you, to make love you--to tell you I loved you before it was too damned late!"

She stared at him for the longest time, before the shaky whisper finally left her mouth. "Don't lie to me."

"I've never lied to you."

She pushed him out of the way, heading back towards the store. "This isn't funny, Alex."

Grabbing her arm, he yanked her back against his chest and held her tight in his grip.

"Do I sound like I'm laughing?"

"Obviously you're a very good actor."

"Damn it, what the hell do I have to do? Rip my Goddamned heart out?"

She closed her eyes, refusing to hope. It hurt too much. How many times could a heart be broken before it was shattered beyond repair?

"If you love me, you won't leave me."

She could feel his breath stir her hair.

"I'm not doing this to hurt you. I told you a long time ago that I had to finish this."

She turned around in his embrace, meeting his gaze. Jesus. She'd never seen that look on his face before.

"When will it be finished, Alex? When you're dead?" Her hands shook when she raised them to his shoulders. "I hate to tell you this, but one man can't save the entire world. It just isn't possible."

Bending slightly, he pulled her tight against him and buried his face against her neck. Wrapping her arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe, she clenched her eyes shut and wished the world could end just like this. Right at this moment. It would be perfect. But as she curled her fingers under the collar of his coat, she knew nothing was ever that simple.

"You aren't going to change my mind, Sabryn. No matter what you say."

"I hate you for this."

She could feel his lips graze her cheek. "I know."

"Please take me with you."

He pulled back slightly to look at her. "Your brother already hates my guts. There's no way I'd chance getting you killed. Your family needs you here. And I need you safe."

She couldn't argue against her family, and he knew it. He wasn't playing fair.

"When will you go?"

"First thing tomorrow. After we're done here, we'll go to the silo so I can help you get set up."

She felt like she needed to say something, but the words stayed choked in her throat. After eighteen long years of being no one in the world but a little sister, acceptance of his words was hard enough. Actually believing them would be even harder. Saying and feeling them in return, without the constant fear of rejection, would be a miracle in itself.

Pressing her forehead against his collarbone, she lowered her arms and wrapped them around his waist.

"I thought spies weren't supposed to fall in love?"

"Although it's inadvisable, you've got that wrong. Spies are supposed to be fearless." He placed a small kiss against her temple. "I'm not afraid of loving you. I live for danger."

She glanced up at him and smirked. "OK, smart ass."

Grinning, he tilted her chin up and met her lips in a devastating kiss. She drank in the taste of him, imbibing of his mouth like the most intoxicating of liquors. Greedy, thirsty for the tangle of his tongue. Suckling, bingeing, unable to get enough. And when they finally heard the high-pitched giggle of her nephew, he broke away from her lips to stare at her flushed face.

Glancing back at her niece and nephew, she cleared her throat. "I suppose we ought to see what's taking them so long in the store."

He laughed softly. "Probably a good idea."

~~~~~~~~~~

She wasn't exactly sure what she'd been expecting. Something more menacing perhaps. Certainly not a bunch of metal sheds out in the middle of nowhere.

After paying for their purchases at the store, with the stolen credit card Alex had used courtesy of a man named Ted Sternes, they'd driven twenty minutes north to the decommissioned missile silos where they'd be waiting out Armageddon. Shivering, Sabryn glanced around at the barren fields surrounding them and fervently hoped the inside was a lot more interesting than the outdoors. She knew she was about to be disappointed.

Following her brother's lead, she grabbed a couple of bags out of the back of the truck and headed for the nearest shed. Standing just outside the door, holding it open with his foot, Alex looked slightly queasy. Allowing Carly and the kids to pass her, she stopped next to him.

"Are you sure you can do this?"

"Yeah...It'll take me a minute. I have trouble with tight spaces now."

Checking to see that her family was out of earshot, she whispered, "You didn't last night."

Despite his obvious discomfort, he couldn't help but grin at that comment. "Totally different situation."

"So, why don't you stay up here, while we go down?"

"You oughta know by now that I don't mind going down."

She bit her lip, stifling a giggle. Tilting her head towards the doorway, she said, "Come on, big boy...show me your stuff."

Pinching her on the ass, he laughed at her squeal and followed her into the shed. The room was a lot bigger than it looked. Before the door closed all the way, Alex flipped on the power grid and the lights came up to illuminate their path. 

"I can't believe this place still has power."

"It's still military controlled. Which is why we better hurry up. There's nothing out here worth stealing, and it's not an active base, but it's still patrolled." He glanced over at Walter. "I hope you brought your credentials."

Without saying a word, Walter started down the stairs. The sound of his footsteps on the metal-grid stairs echoed in the passage. Silently, they all followed. About halfway down, Sabryn looked back to see Alex holding on to the railing in a nauseous sway.

"Are you all right? You look like you're gonna hurl."

"I'd be a lot better if you didn't talk about it."

"Sorry. Do you want us to stop?"

He shook his head. "I'll be down in a minute."

Sixteen flights of stairs in all. It wasn't so bad on the way down, but she could tell the climb back up was going to be hell. They reached the bottom and came out into an open hallway, a long barely lit passage with turnoffs and several marked doors. So this was home sweet home. It looked like someone's warehouse.

He'd been right about the temperature. It wasn't as cold down here, but it wasn't exactly cozy either. Still, she supposed it was better than facing flame-throwing rebels or freezing to death out in the snow. They walked down the long hallway, opening doors along the way. If they were to stay in these rooms, they'd need to find a way to prop the doors open and keep them that way--they quickly learned by Chris's wanderings that the doors locked the moment they closed.

No privacy. No heat. No windows. Ceilings in the silos that went up forever, it seemed. Eight stories underground. It made her see being buried six feet under in a whole new light.

As her family explored further down the hallway, Sabryn stayed close to Walter's side, glancing back every now and then, hoping Alex was all right.

"Walter, I've been wanting to talk to you."

"You don't need to explain anything to me."

"Yes, I do--"

"You made it perfectly clear to me before that you had feelings for him. I should have backed off."

"No, I--you don't understand. I did lead you on, and I was really wrong to have done that. But I didn't fully understand my feelings myself. I guess I was more attracted to you as a father-figure than anything else."

He looked at her in disbelief before walking away. Hurrying to catch him, she grabbed his arm.

"I'm not saying that things wouldn't be different somehow if I hadn't ever met Alex. You're a very attractive man, Walter. You have to know that." She swallowed heavily, hoping he understood. "Your strong and in control, authoritative, protective...and those are things my father never was. He didn't know how to be, especially when I needed it most. But you took care of me. You were strength, when I barely had any of my own. And I wanted that. I still do. But it's not the kind of attraction you want it to be, and I'm sorry."

He stared at her a moment, before clearing his throat and glancing back behind them. "You're the only reason why I haven't killed him by now."

"You have good reason to feel that way. There is no excuse for what he did to you."

"How can you be with him, knowing what he's done? Not just to me, but to everyone?"

"It's not easy...and it hurts me to know that in a way I've betrayed all of you by choosing him. But he's my friend and I...I can't really explain it better than that."

"Your brother thinks you're making a huge mistake."

"I know. And I'm sorry he feels that way. I'd never do anything to upset Johnny, if I could help it."

"Krycek is leaving you, Sabryn. Why don't you just let him go? Get on with your life and pretend he was never in it. The chances are, he won't come back."

She touched her hand to her chest, feeling the outline of her necklace through her sweater. "I can't."

Setting down her bags, she turned around and headed back to the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~

It seemed like an eternity before she reached the top of the stairs, her muscles wobbly and tired. Alex hadn't been waiting where she left him. Her heart pounding she hurried over to the main door and pushed it open, letting out a breath of relief when she saw him leaning against the truck.

Walking over to where he stood, her legs about ready to collapse underneath her, she sagged against his body. "Where did you go?"

"I couldn't stay down there. I felt like I was suffocating." He laughed, wryly. "So much for spies being fearless."

"Are you OK now?"

"Yeah. It may be colder than hell froze over out here, but it's open space."

"I can see why you don't like that place. Gave me the creeps. I don't know if I could handle living here."

"Hopefully you won't have to worry about it for long."

She stood up on her tiptoes, stretching out her muscles. "Remind me when this is over to take some aerobics classes."

"I'll do that."

"My fat ass could use some exercise."

He glanced over her shoulder, groping her with his right hand. "Feels pretty good to me. Besides, I thought I gave you quite a workout last night."

She was just about to make a sly comment of her own, when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Glancing over, thinking it might be the military patrol he'd mentioned, she was shocked to see a man sitting on the back of a shaggy horse, looking at them. Just on the other side of the tall, chain-link fence, he watched them casually, not bothering to say a word. She felt a chill run down her spine...especially when she realized she'd seen him before.

The man, with red hair, from K-Mart.

"Alex..." Her voice was barely a whisper, as she tried to keep her lips as still as possible.

"Hmm?"

"That man over there, I've seen him before."

He turned his head to look in the direction of her gaze, and just as he spotted him, the man turned his horse and slowly rode away.

"He probably owns property around here."

"No, he was staring at us. And he was staring at me the other day, when Walter and I went shopping."

"He's probably seen you in the area. No doubt," he said, with a kiss on the edge of her mouth, "he thinks you're pretty sexy."

Despite her slight worry, she let him coax her mind off the subject and into one much more satisfying. Still, she couldn't shake the goose bumps crawling across her flesh.

* * *

END.  


Feed--to supply with essential elements needed for survival. Back--in return.  
I feed you + you feed me = We're all happy! Isahunter@aol.com


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